Coming Home
by majestyofhearts
Summary: What happens when everything you've ever loved gets taken away from you?  If everyone has lost faith? If that one person cannot be found?
1. Prologue

**Coming Home**

**Prologue**

_What happens when everything you've ever loved gets taken away from you? If all the people that once believed in you, have lost faith?_

The soft rustling of the wind blowing through the leaves calmed her down. The wind always did, and she loved the way it would blow through her hair, making her feel like she had wings and could fly every time it did. The wind was a strange thing. It could be a light breeze, or a destructive storm. It went wherever it wanted to, and was in a way very unpredictable.

She loved the wind as much as she loved him, because they were so much alike. He too, was unpredictable. Whenever he was around in that silent yet present way of his, she felt at ease. Then at other times he would feel angsty and keep her at arm's length. But he had abandoned her a long time ago. She had no idea where he was, how he was doing, if he was even alive for that matter. She knew he didn't mean to do the things that he did, because he was troubled my memories and guilt, but without his presence she felt small and fragile. Lonely.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

'_So you really don't have a clue who I am, do you?'_

* * *

Tifa Lockhart strided down the street in a quick, determined pace. She was dressed in a dark office skirt with a white blouse with a black trench coat worn over it, as classy as someone could look. Her high heels ticked over the pavement in a constant rhythm as the young woman made her way through the growing city crowd. To any person passing by she would be seen as someone in her daily routine of getting to work, while in fact, this couldn't be less true.

Tifa had just moved to Midgar about a week ago, after she had been offered a job. Previously she had been working for the police department in Nibelheim, but her boss had been under the impression that she had too much potential to stay in such a police department, thus, she had been recommended to the detective superintendent of one of the best detective teams of Gaia.

She stopped before the high building where she was supposed to be and looked up for a moment before she stepped through the automatically opening doors . With a quick glance on her watch as she stepped into the elevator, she concluded that she was 10 minutes early, and she let out a relieved sigh.

The elevator doors were about to close when suddenly someone put his foot in the gap, and the doors opened again. Tifa looked up in surprise when a guy with black spiky hair stepped in, followed closely by a blond guy whose hair was even spikier. The largest one of the two was about to press to the second floor, but stepped back when he realized it had already been pressed. He gave her a curious glance, but said nothing.

Tifa looked straight ahead and waited impatiently until the elevator would reach the second floor. When she glanced at the two men behind her, she noticed that the blonde man was staring at her. His piercing blue eyes almost burned through her and she quickly looked forward again.

The elevator had reached the second floor and Tifa slid through the doors before they were even completely opened. She hadn't been nervous for her first day of work, but that constant stare of the blond guy had made her anxious. If she hadn't been nervous before, she certainly was now. She was about to step into the briefing room when she suddenly heard a loud' HEY', and she turned around.

It didn't come as a surprise to see it was the dark-haired guy who had just called out, and had it obviously been directed at her because he was walking towards her, with the blond at his side.

'Seeing as you're about to go into the briefing room, I take it you're the new one on our team?' The guy then extended his hand and shook hers briefly. 'Nice to meet you, I'm Zack Fair,' he said with a wide smile.

Tifa gave him a smile in return. 'My name is Tifa Lockhart,' she said, then frowned a little when the blonde's head suddenly snapped upwards. 'And who are you?' she asked anxiously.

He sighed. A sigh which seemed to linger somewhere between disappointment and playfulness, but she couldn't determine which of the two it was.

'So you really don't have a clue who I am, do you?' he said and Tifa watched in silence as the corners of his lips crooked up into a smile. 'I thought you would have recognized me, after all, we were neigbours for years ,' he said, and that's when Tifa suddenly realized who he was and why he had been staring at her like that.

'Cloud!' she gasped out and stumbled forward to embrace him. His body tensed as her arms made contact with him, but after a few seconds he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. 'It's good to see you,' he said, then let her go after a few seconds.

Zack was staring at them with a blank expression. 'You two know each other?' he asked. Tifa was about to explain, but Cloud was quicker.

'Like I said, she was my neighbor back when I was still living in Nibelheim,' he said and gave her a small smile.

'It's good that you already know someone Tifa, I guess that makes it easier to adjust to your surroundings. Anyway, all the others are already there, so we better get in there before Angeal arrives,' Zack said. Tifa followed Zack and Cloud and took place in an empty seat next to a man with dark, spiky hair.

A few minutes later the door to the briefing room opened again and the last member of the team stepped in. Detective Superintendent Angeal Hewley silently took his place at the head of the table, with Tifa sitting on his left side, and Zack on his right.

' Before we start to discuss the case where I've called all of you in for, I'd like to introduce you to your new colleague. This is Tifa Lockhart. She has been transferred from Nibelheim and will be working in our team from now on. I will shortly tell you everyone's names, they can introduce themselves to you properly later, because we don't have a lot of time.' Angeal said. 'On my right you have Zack Fair, Cloud Strife, Snow Villiers and Reno Sinclair. The person next to you is Noctis Caelum and lastly, Claire Farron.'

Tifa followed every person with her eyes as Angeal called their names, and repeated them in her head. Luckily she could easily match names with faces, so she would hopefully remember who her new colleagues were.

Her attention drifted back to Angeal when he started to rumble through a stack of paper situated in front of him. He cleared his throat, then started to tell them the casualties about the new case.

'About an hour ago they have found a middle aged man in a deserted alley, who has probably been stabbed. The police has informed me that they think it was completely intentional, so it is now our case. They still don't know a lot, things such as his identity, so I want you to get as much information as possible. Lightning and Noctis, you will be going around the neighborhood, visiting houses and asking around if anyone has seen anything unusual. Reno and Snow, I want you two to focus on evidence. Not only on the crime scene itself, but also on the things that you can conclude from what you see. Cloud and Tifa, talk to the police. Question every police officer that is at the crime delict. Try to gather as much information about the victim. Zack, you're coming with me.'

Everyone stood up as soon as Angeal was done talking. There was a lot they still had to do, and every detective knew that the first few hours of a crime were the most important. They really had no time to lose.

* * *

**Feedback is appreciated alot. Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

'_What strikes me as odd is the fact that Angeal only mentioned that the victim was 'probably stabbed'. He didn't mention anything about the fire. Don't you think that's odd?'_

Tifa was by far the slowest to make her way out of the room and she noticed that Cloud was already stepping into the elevator. He then suddenly seemed to realize that she was behind and stepped out of the elevator before the doors closed. Tifa catched up with him, and as she reached his side, Cloud ran his fingers through his hair with an embarrassing look on his face.

'Sorry. I've gotten so used to the routine of doing this that I forgot for a second that you're new here,' he said. Tifa shook her head and smiled at him. 'Don't worry about it, I guess it must be weird for you to suddenly be working together with someone new,' she said. The elevator reached their floor again and they stepped in as the doors opened. Cloud leaned against the wall and Tifa could feel his observing eyes burning in her back. 'So why did you decide to move and start in a different police department?' he asked

'Well.. my boss believed that I needed a bit more challenge. Nothing ever happens in Nibelheim, or at least, nothing has happened ever since…'Tifa's voice trailed off. She furrowed her brow, then quickly continued talking without finishing her last sentence. 'I figured it would be a welcome change to do something else,' she concluded and smiled. She could tell that Cloud noticed was not quite alright with her since tried the subject, and his awareness of that made her anxious. There were things in her past that were still haunting her that she tried to avoid talking about at all costs. However, it didn't help much that it was Cloud's past too. He had been there as well when it had happened after all.

Tifa's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of the elevator reaching ground zero. She stepped outside without saying anything else and walked outside with Cloud trailing closely behind her. She hoped that she would have the opportunity to ask him some questions later on , but as for now they had to concentrate on the job that had to be done. Neither of them could afford to lose their concentration in the early hours of the investigation, since these hours were crucial.

…

Cloud had parked his car as close to the crowd as he was able to get. Tifa and he were now making their way through the hordes of people who had come to get a peek of the crime scene. She let out a sigh of relief when reached the front of the crowd and stepped under the tape that stopped the crowd from getting nearer to the scene.

'How will we proceed from here?' she asked and gave Cloud a questioning look. She was extremely self-conscious since it was her first day, and she didn't want to mess things up.

'I'm going to ask the officers what they know so far. Why don't you go talk to the police officer who found the victim?' Cloud suggested. He pointed at a young guy who was standing by the crime scene with a distressed look on his face.

Tifa nodded. 'Okay, we'll talk later,' she said and walked towards the young man. 'Excuse me?' she said in a clear kind voice. The man was obviously startled; he gave a little jump when she asked for his attention. Only when he turned to face her, did Tifa notice that his clothing was somewhat adust on some places. The man was giving her an unsure look. 'Who are you?'

'My name is Tifa Lockhart. I'm the investigator of this case. If you don't mind, would you answer a few questions for me?' Tifa said and gave him a reassuring smile. 'I'm Prompto,' the guy said and gave a small nod. 'Go ahead. What you want to know?'

'You're the one who found the victim right?' she asked. She continued when Prompto nodded. 'Can you remember what time it was then?'

Prompto combed his fingers through his messy blond hair and thought about her question. 'About 3 in the morning I think,' he replied. Tifa gave him a skeptic look. 'Explain to me what you were doing in a slum neighborhood at 3 in the morning. Were you on duty?' Prompto nodded again. This new information made Tifa a suspicious. She would have to check if Prompto really had been on duty this morning. She knew it might be unnecessary, but she wanted to be absolutely sure. Just because he worked by the police didn't mean she should immediately take him on his word. Tifa cleared her throat. 'Okay, so you were on duty. Please tell me everything from the start of your duty until the part where you found the victim. Add anything you think might be of importance. And don't lie, because I'll find out,' she said and gave him a stern look.

'My duty started at 2 o'clock. My partner had called in sick that same night, so I had to patrol around town alone. All was quiet, which was kind of odd. Normally there are always some people on the streets who yell at each other, things like that. It's never quiet. At the time it didn't particularly ring any bells, but when I think of it now it's just odd. All went well, until around 3, when I saw a cloud of smoke coming from a deserted street. Thinking a house was on fire I got out of my car to check it out and call the fire brigade if necessary. I saw a cloaked man, bent over something that was burning. I yelled at him, asking him what the hell he was doing. The moment he heard me, he fled though. I didn't even get the chance to see his features. Well, the thing he was burning turned out to be your victim. From the smell of it the perpetrator had poured gasoline over the body. I called for reinforcement from the police department and fire brigade. That's about it..' Prompto said and let out a deep sigh. Tifa had been quietly listening to him, trying to memorize every little detail he had told her. 'Tell me, do you think the victim was already dead when you reached him or her?' she asked. 'I didn't hear any screaming, so I think so. Anyone who would be burned alive would scream, right? Therefore the victim must have been dead before he was burned, or he or she was already burned to death by the I came. I'm not sure how long the fire was burning already, since I was just passing by. It could have been burning for hours, or maybe just a bare few minutes,' Prompto said, thinking out loud.

Tifa nodded briefly. 'Now my last question, could you describe to me what the perpetrator looked like? I know that you said you didn't see his face, but can you at least tell me what you did see?' she asked and glance hopefully at the young men before her. It was highly unlikely that he would be able to say something notable, but it was worth the try. Tifa was out of luck though, because Prompto simply shook his head. 'All I saw is that he wore a dark cloak, and that he was considerably tall. That's all I know, I'm sorry.' Tifa offered him a small smile. 'Well that's all for now then. Stay around for a while, we might need you for the investigation, and until I've found someone to confirm your alibi, it's not a good idea to leave,' she said and walked past him towards the victim. The closer she got, the more distinctive the smell became, causing her to put a hand over her nose. She looked down at the victim and gulped. No wonder it smelled so badly, the victim was severely burned. Pieces of the body were blackened and destroyed. Other parts were still in considerable shape, but still with severe burning wounds.

Tifa looked up in surprise when someone stood still beside her. Cloud glanced at her with a serious look on his face. 'So far it's really not looking good,' he said and sighed. 'All that the police and the forensic team know so far is that the victim is an unidentified male. He didn't have any passport or wallet. Either it was stolen from him by the perpetrator or the fire destroyed it. What did you find out?' Tifa quickly gave him a summary of what Prompto had just told her. She looked at the body of the victim again, suppressing the urge to throw up from the bad smell. She was really not used to things like this, in Nibelheim things like this never happened. Or not anymore they did. 'They will probably have a hard time identifying the victim, right? It's almost impossible to find anything useful to use when looking in the database for a possible identity,' she said. Cloud nodded. 'You're right,' he said. 'What strikes me as odd is the fact that Angeal only mentioned that the victim was 'probably stabbed'. He didn't mention anything about the fire. Don't you think that's odd?'

Tifa looked at Cloud quizzically. 'What are you trying to say?' she asked. Cloud looked at her doubtfully. 'I think Angeal suspects something. Something that I'm suspecting too. Think for a minute Tifa, doesn't it remind you of him..?' he said carefully. Tifa shook her head in bewilderment. 'Please don't say his name,' she said quickly with a sharp tone. 'You're talking nonsense. Not every person who has been stabbed and burned has something to with him. Let it go,' she said in a defensive tone and walked away from him. That couldn't possibly be the case.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_ "We think we're dealing with the same criminal. He has returned, and I don't think he's going to let the police stop him this time."_

The drive back to the police building was quiet. Tifa was gazing out the window with distant eyes that told Cloud she was upset. And more important, it was probably his fault since he had brought up a topic that she obviously refused to talk about in the first place. He let out a sigh and tapped with his fingers on the steering wheel. They hadn't been together for more than a day and he had already managed to say something stupid. As Cloud turned his head to look at Tifa a hollow feeling filled his stomach. He knew very well that she was capable of looking after herself, he didn't know a woman who was stronger than her, but she looked so fragile right now. "Tifa?" he asked in a hesitant voice and searched for eye-contact. Tifa raised her head and looked at him. "I'm fine, don't worry about it," she said and smiled brightly at him. Cloud nodded and decided to leave her be, even though he was sure that her smile was fake.

The tense silence stretched between them, and Cloud couldn't help but feel relieved when his cellphone rang. "Hey boss," he answered after glancing at the screen who the caller was. "We're already on our way back, we'll be there in about 5 minutes," he said and looked at Tifa from the corner of his eyes. She was no longer staring out the window but was now looking at him, and he could tell that she had regained her composure. When Angeal told him on the other end of the line to make it quick he shut his phone and pressed his foot hard on the gas pedal. He could feel Tifa's curious eyes on him. Without taking his eyes of the road he told her: "Angeal wants us to hurry up."

…

The briefing room was already full by the time Cloud and Tifa entered. Cloud was not surprised to see Snow and Claire in a heated discussion and he silently cursed Angeal for the bad seating plan of the room. Claire was standing hunched over the table with her hands placed on the table and an intimidating look on her face. Snow was sitting down, but it didn't make him any less impressive. Even from his sitting position he looked like he could take anyone down with his massive body. Anybody but Claire, that was, though he made good attempts every day.

As Cloud silently took his seat next to Zack, the latter tore his eyes away from their bickering colleagues and looked at Cloud. "It's about her again," he said with an amused tone and confirmed what Cloud had already suspected.

"About who?" Tifa asked as she sat down opposite to Zack. She frowned at Claire and Snow and Cloud could tell that she was wondering whether it was normal here for colleagues to have a go at each other. "Serah," Cloud and Zack said in chorus. They both glanced at Claire to see if she had heard them, but she still had her attention focused on Snow and was now insulting him in a loud voice.

"Serah Farron, she's Claire's sister," Zack explained. "She and Snow are engaged and are getting married in a few months."

Tifa was now looking openly at Claire. Cloud saw her rich brown eyes take in Claire's long pink hair, her aqua eyes and the way she was now slamming her hands on the table in order to make a point. A smile adorned her face as she returned her attention to him and Zack. "She doesn't want Snow to marry her sister then?" she asked.

"No, she thinks Snow's an idiot, and she believes he's not good enough for Serah," Zack said, chuckling. Cloud snorted and gave his friend a piercing stare. "You can laugh, but you don't have to deal with annoying sisters, poor Snow," he said, but he had quite the opposite effect with his comment because Zack's smile only grew wider. Too late, Cloud realized that he was on dangerous grounds now. "No, because I have a best friend who's pleading against my engagement," Zack blurted out chuckling. Cloud could feel his face heat up, and Zack suddenly had Tifa's unaverted attention, to Cloud's distress.

"You're engaged?" she said surprised, then turning her attention to him "and you're against it?" Zack could no longer compose himself and laughed out loud. "Yes I am, since a month or so. And my girlfriend happens to be the girl Cloud was in love with," he said in between coughs of laughter. Cloud could feel his cheeks burn and he glanced over his shoulder, hoping desperately for Angeal to hurry up and release him from his agony already, but he was nowhere to be seen. Thus he decided to get defensive instead.

"I wasn't in love with her! We just got along really well.. it was just a tiny crush!" he spluttered, and it was true. Compared to the way he had felt about Tifa when he was teenager, his affections for Aerith Gainsborough were merely just a crush. Especially after he had found out that that the beautiful Aerith was in fact his best friend's girlfriend. He had been disappointed, but had gotten over it quickly and now he and Aerith were just friends. Unfortunately, he wasn't really sure if he could say the same thing about the unrequited feelings he had held for Tifa, for they seemed to have been awoken now.

Zack was now hacing a coughing fit from laughing and was desperately gasping for air. Cloud thumped him on the back, a little harder than necessary but it worked nonetheless. He stopped coughing and sat up straight in his chair, grinning at Tifa like a madman. Tifa threwe the both of them an amused smiles. "Who knew," she said and Cloud knew that the sentence was directed towards him.

"So what about you Tifa? Got a boyfriend?" Zack asked with sudden interest and gazed intently at Tifa with his mako blue eyes. She simply shook her head and Cloud couldn't fail to notice the relieved feeling that washed over him. From the corner of his eyes he could see Zack nudging him with a meaningful look on his face. Cloud wondered how they had suddenly gotten in the sitation of discussing their love lifes in the middle of a case.

He looked up when Noctis entered the room handing Claire and Snow cups of coffee which seemed to reduce both of them to silence. Cloud silently praised the raven haired man for his cleverness.

"So what about the others? Noctis? And Reno?" Tifa then asked and glanced at the two of them.

"Noctis' got a girlfriend, they just started going out. Nice girl, I think her name is Stella.." Zack said thoughtful. "Fleuret. Stella Fleuret is her name," Cloud said helpfully. He and Zack looked at Tifa with surprise when she gasped.

"He's dating my cousin?" she exclaimed and glanced at Noctis with renewed interested. Zack got up from his chair and walked up to Noctis, grabbing his shoulder and directing him over to where they were sitting. Noctis shot Zack a confused look." Tifa is your girlfriend's cousin," said Zack and grinned.

Noctis straightened up and inspected Tifa who was smiling at him. He nodded slowly and returned her smile. "I can see the connection, you look a bit like her. I wouldn't have guessed though" he said in his low voice.

Right that moment Angeal came in the room, immediately reducing everyone to silence. Zack and Noctis hurriedly took their seats and they all looked expectantly at Angeal. As he sat down he exchanged glances with Zack, who's face suddenly became very serious and grim. A silent exhange of words had seemed to have taken place between them. Cloud, as well as the others knew that a thunderstorm was coming their way, in the form of whatever news it was Angeal had.

"First of all, before I explain, do all of you know who Sephiroth is?" Angeal asked. Cloud's head snapped up and he met Tifa's gaze. Her eyes were widened with shock and anger. She looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. The other's nodded slowly, as a sign that they were aware of who Sephiroth was.

"Zack and I had a feeling that he might have something to do with the victim of our case. He dissapeared 6 years ago, after burning down the town of Nibelheim," Angeal said, and his gaze quickly flicked over Cloud and Tifa. "He has murdered 7 people, and 12 more were burned in that fire. We now have a case of a man who has been killed in way that is really similar to Sephiroth's style. Stabbing, burning, you know the deal. We think we're dealing with the same criminal. He has returned, and I don't think he's going to let the police stop him this time."

"How are you so sure it's him boss?" Reno asked in a demanding tone.

"We don't!" Zack replied before Angeal could even open his mouth. "But Angeal knew him well before he.. went barking mad, so he knows what he is like. All we're saying is that it could be him and that we should all be careful with how we treat this case because that guy is seriously dangerous."

Angeal nodded in agreement. "I wanted all of you to know what we might be up against. Now.." he said, clapping his hands together. "Tell me what you've gathered so far. Lightning, Noctis?"

Lightning was the one who answered. "Not much. We went around all the houses in the neighborhood, but as we expected most people didn't answer, and the ones who did claimed that they hadn't seen anything," she said, failing to keep the frustration out of her voice.

"The killer picked a good spot since that area is the most dangerous. If someone saw anything at all, they're bound to keep their mouth shut because they're frightened the police might find out about their own dirty business," Noctis added calmly.

Angeal sighed. "So that's a dead end then," he muttered while turning his attention to the blonde and redhead. "Snow, Reno?"

"Nothing at all. Since the forensic team was busy with the body, we decided to take a look around, searching for the wallet that might clarify the man's identity or a murder weapon, but we found nothing," Snow said. Cloud looked over at them and saw that like Lightning, Snow and Reno were feeling a bit frustrated too. However, Angeal would have none of it. "Don't look so sorry for yourself. Once the forensic team is done with the body, we'll hopefully have a lot more clues. It's only a matter of time." Angeal then turned his attention to him, but he simply shook his head.

"Only thing worthwhile they told me is that they saw someone lurking in the shadows, watching the fire brigade and police get to the body. When one of their men approached the person, he fled. It's possible that he was the killer, or maybe he had a helper who had been told to keep watch," he said and nodded at Tifa, encouraging her to tell Angeal what she had also told him, though it was merely important.

"I talked with the police officer who found the body. He claims to have been on duty alone since his partner was sick, which I have to check. He saw someone run away from the body, but couldn't see any distinctive features so that doesn't help much either. He also wasn't sure whether the victim was already dead, but he thought he hadn't heard any screaming so my guess is that the victim was dead before the killer put him on fire." she said while glancing in her notebook.

Angeal nodded slowly. "Okay, so that's it then. You'll all be working individually, try to help each other out too. I won't be here. The media has already found out about the murder so there's a press conference I've got to attend. Zack will be in charge until I get back," he said and stood up. Everbody gathered their stuff and was about to get up when Angeal suddenly slammed his hands on the table with such force that it made even Lightning jump.

"Oh and before I forget, you're not here to gossip or fight," he said, his gaze flickering over the lot of them. "Don't think I didn't notice, because I did. I don't want to hear any more of that. If you want me to treat all of you like adults, then act like it and do your damn job. Especially you puppy," he said as he looked down on Zack who seemed to shrink a little in his chair. "If you want to chat up the young lady, then that's fine, but do it in your own time. Besides, I believe some other girl is already wearing a ring of yours on her finger, isn't that right?" Angeal sneered. Zack looked indignant and was about to make a witty reply, but Angeal was already gone. Everybody scrambled from their seats and hurried out of the briefing room, towards their desks.

"I take it he doesn't often do things like that?" Tifa asked as Cloud accompanied her to her new desk. Cloud nodded, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"He only does it every once in a while, when things really get out of hand. I suppose now was one of those times, but you can't really blame us with the arrival of a new colleague, female on top of that, and a new case on our hands," he said and chuckled.

"Well.. there's hardly anything about me to be excited about?" Tifa said in a questioning tone, which made Cloud's grin only grow wider.

"No offence Tifa, but have you looked in the mirror? You're quite an attractive young woman," he blurted out, then suddenly realized what he had just said and looked away, embarrassed.

"Well thank you, I think?" Tifa said in an unsure voice. When Cloud returned his gaze to her she was smiling at him with flushed cheeks.

"I'll be getting to work," Cloud said quickly and walked to his own desk where he slumped down in his chair and started to dial the number of the local police office. What had just happened? His heart was beating fast and he felt as though his stomach was making little jumps. As he silently cursed himself for feeling this way, he glanced over at Tifa who was on the phone, no doubt to make sure that the police officer she had talked with really had an alibi.

Cloud sighed deeply. Whatever feelings it were that had been awakened just now would have to wait, there were far more important things to worry about it. if it really was Sephiroth who had murdered that man, then all hell would break loose soon.

* * *

**Feedback is appreciated alot. Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 4

**First of all I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed Coming Home so far. I'm sorry for my incredibly slow updating!**

**Secondly, a big thanks to x3ns0r who made a cover for this fanfiction, check it out (search in the reviews)**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"_Tell your friend not to meddle in other people's business. Or it might be the end for both of you."_

Aerith Gainsborough fumbled around in her bag for her apartment keys. With narrowed eyes she peered around the dark hallway in search for the switch to turn on the lights, but it was so dark that she couldn't make out anything. Finally her fingers got a hold of her keys and she opened the door. She walked in, switched the lights on and closed the door behind her, drowning out the darkness of the hallway. Smiling, Aerith looked around the small apartment she and Zack shared. They had lived here for about a year now and it had become a place full of memories for them. As she walked into the living room she glanced at the couch and for a moment and thought back of the moment a few months ago when Zack had knelt on one knee and asked her to marry him. With a small smile adorning her face and a fast beating heart, Aerith walked into their bedroom and changed into something warmer than the dress she had been wearing. Even though it had been months since Zack had proposed to her, thinking back of it always made her heart race and she was sometimes amazed that a ladies-man like him had chosen to settle down, with her of all girls.  
"Hey, what are you smiling about?" a voice came from behind her and Aerith spun around with a startled look to see the object of her affections standing beside her with a bunch of flowers in his hands. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even heard him come in.  
"Speaking of the devil, I was just thinking about you," she said smiling and Zack laughed at her. "Which explains that look on your face, might you be in love with me Aerith?" he asked as he closed the space between them, his lips just inches away from hers. Laughing, she pushed him away from her, well aware that he was just fishing for compliments. Zack would have none of it though. As he put the flowers down on the dresser he wrapped his arms tightly around her small frame and kissed her. When he released her again Aerith looked up at him to study his face, noticing the dark circles under his eyes that were without a doubt the result of too little sleep. She knew that he had only been on the case for a few days and that they were making little to no progress at all, but Zack wasn't one to feel discouraged by that, it only made him work twice as hard. Apart from that, there was the fact that he desperately wanted to impress Detective Superintendent Hewley, wishing to take over his position once the latter would retire in a year time. In fact, she had hardly seen anything of Zack in the past few days. He normally came home late in the evening and was out again before she was even awake.  
"How's the case going?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his dark messy hair. "And how come you're home so early?"  
Zack's expression grew serious and he sat down on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. "Not good. We still have no clue who the victim is, there's no murder weapon nor any possible suspects. I've never experienced anything like this. We're just… stuck. Everybody is trying their best to find something, anything that could help us, but with no luck so far. Angeal send me home because he thinks I'm overworking myself," Zack explained. Aerith sat down beside him and ran her long slender fingers over the back of his hand. She was grateful of the superintendent for sending Zack home, if he had gone on any longer than this he would have probably collapsed from lack of energy. She looked up when Zack's face suddenly brightened. "What?" she asked in a surprised tone. "The DNA tests will hopefully come back tomorrow, so we'll be able to actually get somewhere from then on. If everything goes well that is."  
Aerith smiled at her husband-to-be and stood up. "Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll make us dinner," she said and walked towards the door, only to be stopped by his strong grip on her wrist. Before she was fully aware of what was happening, Zack had pulled her back on the bed with his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. "Zack, what are you doing, you should be resting" she said in a strict voice while she struggled to get out of his grip, but she couldn't help but smile when he planted a soft kiss in her neck. He then let himself fall over on the bed and pulled her along with him. He shifted until he had found a comfortable enough position then closed his eyes, his arms still wrapped warmly around her. "I know, but it is much more soothing with you by my side, Aerith Fair" he mumbled into her hair with a drowsy voice that told Aerith that he was already half asleep. She smiled at the name-calling and turned around so she could look at him. He looked so peaceful and puppy-like with his messed up hair that she couldn't make herself to get up. Secretly she hated his job. Hated how it often made him grumpy and tired, even if he tried to hide it. Hated how dangerous it could sometimes be, proven by the many scars Zack had gained over the years. But most of all, especially in times like these she hated how little she got to see of him even though they were living together. She knew that it was selfish but she couldn't help but wish that he had more free time.

With worrying thoughts concerning Zack's wellbeing and their future together, her eyes fluttered closed. Zack's soft breathing in her face and his warm arms around her waist made her drowsy, and soon enough she found herself drifting off to sleep, forgetting completely about making dinner or any such business.

…

Tifa opened her eyes slowly and looked around her pitch-black room, wondering what it was that had awoken her. Her eyelids felt heavy with sleep and the slight ache in her head told her that it definitely wasn't time to wake up yet. As she sat up straight and clutched the warm blankets around her bare shoulders she heard what had woken her up. A faint buzzing filled her ears which she realized came from her mobile phone in the next room. With a loud yawn she stepped out of bed and stumbled – still half asleep- into the small living room of her equally small apartment, feeling around for the buzzing object in the dark. "Hello?" she mumbled as she picked it up, while she silently cursed herself for not switching off the damned thing before going to bed the night before. Tifa carefully treaded through the living room to put on the light, then stopped dead in her tracks when a warm low voice reached her ears.

"Hello, sorry if I woke you up," said Cloud's oh so familiar voice. "Cloud? How did you get my phone number? And why are you calling? May I point out that it is still really early?" Tifa spoke in a rapid tone, almost jumbling up the words as she did, causing an amused chuckle to come from the other end of the line.

"Slow down Tifa, it's still early and I don't think I can process so much at one time," Cloud's voice replied, followed by another chuckle. Then his voice grew serious again. "We got a call from a woman who claims that she knows who the victim is. I was hoping that I could pick you up in an hour and go there?" he asked. Tifa had settled back on her bed with her phone pressed to her ear. At last there was a bit of progress with a possible identity for the victim, and the thought lightened her troubled mind a bit. As she glanced at the clock that read 5:50 she sighed softly. If anything, the past few days had been exhausting and frustrating and she could really use some more sleep but this visit would probably be worth it. And thus she got up from her bed again and told Cloud that she'd be ready in an hour.

…  
The doorbell rang exactly an hour later like they had agreed to. As Tifa opened the door she took in the sight before her. Cloud was dressed in a simple pair of dark jeans and a casual sweater. His damp hair was still wet from a shower and somehow his blond spikes, though wet, stood out sharply against his pale skin that suggested that he too lacked sleep. His radiant blue eyes were as alert as ever though.

"Well that's a first for me, a woman actually being finished in time for a change," he said with an amused smile and Tifa hit him softly on the arm. She closed the door of her apartment behind her and locked up, then followed Cloud outside. The sight that greeted her there was something that she hadn't expected, let alone wished for. It was without a doubt the largest motorcycle she had ever laid eyes on, and she realized with horror that it was actually Cloud's. He had already hopped on it with ease and was now looking expectantly at Tifa, as if to silently ask her what she was waiting for.

"When did you become a motorcycle kind-of-guy, Cloud?" Tifa asked eyeing the vehicle with caution. She wasn't the type of woman to get frightened easily, she rarely got scared and when she did she always forced herself to overcome her fear. But Tifa had never ridden a motorcycle before, and she really didn't want try it out for the first time on one so large and impressive, like a grand tower.

Cloud was glancing at her with an amused smile, as though he could tell that she was scared. "I don't really remember. I just really like this one," he said with a small shrug. "Come on, get on you. I promise it's not as scary as it looks. Just make sure you hold on tight." Tifa eyed the thing again before finally stepping forward and swinging her leg over the large frame. She shifted a bit until she was seated comfortably behind Cloud then hesitatingly grabbed his broad shoulders. Her stomach clenched together in a mix of anticipation and fear when the motorcycle came alive with an explosion of sound. Tifa's long slender fingers tightened their grip on Cloud's shoulder. She could briefly feel his muscles clench then relax again. They drove off through the still dark surroundings towards their possible source of information

…

Aerith's eyes flew open and she sat up straight in bed with a fast beating heart and the remnants of her vivid nightmare flashing before her eyes. While she took deep breaths in order to relax herself she glanced beside her to see that Zack's sleeping figure was beginning to stir. Right when he opened his eyes to look at her sleepily, his cellphone came to life, buzzing violently. Aerith quickly got up from the bed and reached over to grab it before Zack had even extended his arm.

"Hello? Aerith Gainsborough speaking," she said while she decided to turn the phone off if the call wasn't work related. But no one responded and silence was the only thing she could hear on the other end of the phone when she repeated her earlier sentence again. She was about to hang up when a soft low breathing filled her ears and send chills all over her spine. Zack sat up straight and gave her a concerned look, silently asking her who was on the phone. But Aerith couldn't move, let alone speak. She was stuck to the spot, intently listening to the breathing from whoever was calling, and all she could do was trying to keep her expression neutral so she wouldn't worry Zack, even failing at that.

After a long stretching silence a voice cut through, clear and calm with a cold undertone. "Tell your friend not to meddle in other people's business. Or it might be the end for both of you."

With that being said, the male hung up and Aerith sat down slowly on the edge of the bed with shaking hands. Someone has just called Zack on his phone to threaten him. Someone had warned her that he would harm Zack if he didn't obey. Someone had threatened to kill the both of them!

Aerith then felt Zack's hand under her chin, lifting it so that she met his worried gaze. Silently she handed him his cell phone back and brought her hands up to touch his face, all the while trying to keep the tears brimming in her eyes from falling as she whispered "You have to get off the case."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_"I don't plan to give up, I want to complete this case, no matter what. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice my own safety."_

* * *

Cloud had unconsciously risen to his full height as he glanced around the dark, dirty tunnel they were walking through. He wasn't completely sure whether it was to try and impress their possible suspect, to try and make her cower under his gaze, or to hide his own discomfort. It was probably a bit of both.

His first surprise of that morning came when he and Tifa had reached their destination: Shinra Mansion. He had wondered aloud why anyone would voluntarily live in such a big worn-down building. He was corrected by Tifa when she had pointed to the sign on the entrance gate that clearly stated that Shinra Mansion was a laboratory. And so he had realized with a startle that he had made a mistake, he should've checked beforehand where they were going. He felt unprofessional – a feeling he rarely experienced – though he managed to convince himself that it was because it was still so early.

The second surprise came five minutes later when Tifa had drawn attention to them by pounding on the large wooden door with a copper knocker in the shape of a wolf's head. The last thing he had expected was for a beautiful tall brunette to open the door, complete in a white lab coat and all. He had figured that they would be talking to some old lady, not a woman around his own age who was dressed smartly under her coat and her hair in a high ponytail who –he had to admit- was very attractive.

The biggest surprise was however that he managed to be attracted to her, then lose all feelings of possible attractiveness in five minutes time, when he quickly realized that her smile was a fake one and that her whole figure seemed to radiate discomfort. She was definitely hiding something and he intended to find out what.

So now here they were, walking through the cold tunnel with brick walls that seemed almost green. The woman, who had introduced herself as Lucrecia Crescent, was leading the way with uncertain steps and her head bowed. Cloud followed her silently with Tifa, trying to take in the details of their surroundings (not that there were much), keeping his own discomfort from growing and glancing worriedly at Tifa who looked determined but a little uncomfortable all the same. Lucrecia opened a door at the end of the runnel and led them into a room that was pleasantly warm and decorated compared to the rest of the chill mansion. She nervously ushered them to sit down on a couch while she sat down with trembling shoulders. She looked as though she was about to have a nervous breakdown. From the corner of his eye, Cloud could see that Tifa was stealing worried glances at the woman before them and he could tell that she shared his suspicion. The nervousness the woman could either help them gain information or make her collapse and throw any capability of sensible thinking about the window. He hoped desperately that it would be the first.

Tifa was the first to speak, clearing her throat as she fished a small notebook out of her jacket. "So miss Crescent, could you tell us a bit about this place first?" she asked politely while offering Lucrecia a kind smile.  
"This lab, Shinra Mansion is actually owned by the power company Shinra, though you probably already figured that out," Lucrecia began with a nervous laugh that stopped as abruptly as it started before she continued. "I cannot tell you anything about the kind experiments we do here because it's highly confidential, but I work here as professor Hojo's assistant."

Cloud perked up when he heard the familiar name and stared at Lucrecia. There were rumors that had been going around Midgar for a while now about the professor, presumably he was as a mad as a hatter. "Is he the one that is missing?" he asked carefully.

"Yes. The last time I saw him was two days ago, when I left work around 6. He is always the first to arrive and the last to go home, but the next morning he wasn't there. I didn't want to call the police immediately because he might still turn up but he didn't. I went by his apartment in the afternoon but nobody opened up and his cell phone was switched off," Lucrecia explained in a nervous tone.

"Why didn't you call the police after you realized he was off-the-map?" Tifa asked. "If someone reported a missing person we would have heard about it. But we didn't, which means that you didn't go to the police. Why not?"

Lucrecia averted her gaze and looked down at her tightly folded hands in her lap. "I didn't want to come over as panicky." Cloud turned his head to look at Tifa and caught her eye for a moment. Her expression said it all: she too believed that the woman before them was lying through gritted teeth. Cloud looked forward again and addressed the brunette before them. "Tell us anything you know about professor Hojo."

"He's the head of Shinra's Science Research Division and in his fifties, though I'm not sure when he was born exactly or where. His hair is black and quite long, and he is slender and quite tall too, but he walks in a hunched way," Lucrecia summed up, a thoughtful expression on her face as she did. "The last time I saw him he was wearing his lab coat, a blue sweater and grey trousers. And he wears glasses. I'm not sure where he lives exactly but I've heard it's in some old neighbourhood in Midgar, and if I'm correct he lives on his own."

Tifa looked at woman before her and nodded slightly before she asked her next question with a penetrating glance into Lucrecia's chocolate brown eyes. "What did you do after you visited the professor's apartment?" she asked calmly, but there was something about the way she was looking at Lucrecia and the dangerous undertone in her voice that made her cringe slightly, so Cloud noticed. "At my house. I live in Midgar too," Lucrecia answered, attempting to look Tifa straight in the eye but failing miserably for Tifa was staring at her so intently that it made the brunette give up on such attempts and look at Cloud instead.

"Is there anyone who can confirm that you were at home?" he asked, even though he could already guessed the answer. Nevertheless, his heart surged in hope when he heard her answer. "No."

* * *

Lightning strode through the hallway with a determined look on her face. She had just been on the phone with the forensic pathologist of their department when a very serious looking Snow had come towards her. Even when they were on an important case he barely ever looked serious, which annoyed her to bits but nobody could say that he didn't do his job well despite his attitude. It was rare to see a facial expression like the one he was wearing at that moment, which usually meant trouble. And she was right.

Without any hesitation she opened the door to their briefing room with Snow just a few steps behind her and walked in. A mix of confusion and desperation was evident in the room and everbody but one person looked up. "What is going on?" Lightning said loudly as she took a few steps forward towards the figure that sat with his hands in his hair, hunched forward as if the weight of the entire world was resting on his shoulders. Crouched down next to him sat Noctis who glanced up at Lightning when he heard her and shot her a grim look. When he got up and let her pass he whispered something lowly in her ear. "We're not sure what to do. Angeal isn't around and when that happens Zack usually gives the orders."

Taking a deep breath, Lightning knelt down in front of the black haired male and put her hand on his shoulders. "Zack, look at me," she demanded, but there was no mistaking the kind tone that hid behind her calm words. It was a tone none of her colleagues were used to hearing for she only reserved it for Serah, or in any situation where she found it necessary, like now.

Zack lifted his head reluctantly and Lightning looked into his sky-blue eyes that were filled with despair. Silently she pleaded for him to speak, to tell her what had managed his usually cheery self to turn into this. "Somebody called my cellphone and threatened to kill the both of us if this case is continued," Zack said in a barely audible whisper, and everbody immediately understood who was meant with the 'us'. "I.. I don't plan to give up, I want to complete this case, no matter what. Even if it means that I have to sacrifice my own safety. But I don't plan to sacrifice hers! I need to keep Aerith safe no matter what! If anything happens to her I... I will never forgive myself," he said as his struggling voice became louder and louder.

Lightning wasn't sure what made her do it but the next thing she knew she had lifted her hand and slapped Zack hard in the face. The sound of her hand hitting his cheek and his sharp intake of breath echoed through the room and all its other occupants waited with tense faces what would come next.

"Don't you dare say something like that Fair! What kind of husband do you plan to be if you think like that? It's your job to protect her, there's no if's or but's in that! You knew that you would always have to protect her the moment you made your decision, even if it may seem like an impossible thing to do sometimes," Lightning said loudly, adopting a stern voice in the hope that she would get through to the young man. "The both of you are going to be just fine, we'll make sure somebody is watching her at all times, and you do your job okay?" she continued more softly and patted the top of his head. The look Zack gave her said it all, she knew that she had succeeded for the familiar determined glint in his eyes was present again, along with appreciation towards her and an emotion she guessed was affection for his fiancée. It was then that she realized how much Zack truly loved his fiancée and somehow this small fact made her respect for him grow.

Lightning stood up straight and turned around to look at the others. "Snow, go and find Angeal. Tell him to come back here and that it's important. Reno, take that Rude guy from the other department with you and stand guard at Zack's apartment, he'll give you the address. Make sure you inform the young lady of what you plan to do and follow her at all times. If you lose sight of her, you're dead. Noctis, you're coming with me to the morgue, Grimoire called to say that he's done with the body," she said with a determined look, hinting that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Before she followed the others she turned around briefly to look at Zack who had gotten up and was now dialing a phone number. "Make sure to inform Cloud and Tifa when they get back, okay?" she said with a small smile. Zack stood up to his full height and flashed her a big grin. "Don't forget to be back in an hour, or else there will be trouble Farron!" he called out after her as she left the room. Lightning couldn't help but smile at his words. Zack was back again.

* * *

**Okay, a short author's note to update:**

**I know that even though this story is stated as Cloud/Tifa, there hasn't really been a lot going on between them. I'm sorry if anybody feels mislead by this but I can assure you that their relationship is going to take steps forward from the next chapter onward. The reason why it is taking a while is because I want it to be realistic.**

**Futhermore, I've decided to show a bit of each character's personal lifes as the story progresses. We've seen a bit about Zack and Aerith now, but I plan to do the same thing for the other members of the team too. Please let me know if you think this is a good idea or not ;)**

**Lastly, I'm pretty sure most of you have already figured out who the murderer is, but please bare with me until the moment comes that they actually confirm it. **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"_Are you asking me out on a date?"_

* * *

Cloud slowly brought his motorcycle to a stop, keeping in mind his female passenger. Tifa had been wary of the vehicle and at first she had clung to Cloud's shoulders, but he had noticed her relax when they drove back to Midgar. Her hands were but a mere weight on his shoulders then. When he glanced around to look at her, he saw that she had already stepped off. He stepped off the bike himself too and watched with slight amusement how Tifa struggled to get the helmet that he had given her off. She was so concentrated on the task at hand that she didn't even notice him watching her. He tried his best to keep his face stoic, but when a chuckle escaped his mouth her head shot up and she gave him an affronted look. Cloud stepped forward and helped her out, gently lifting the helmet off her head and setting it down on his bike. He expected a series of insults but when he turned around again he was greeted by an excited Tifa.

"That was amazing!" she said loudly as she glanced up at him with wide brown eyes. Her hair was a mess from the helmet, but the way she was looking at Cloud and her excitement stirred something deep inside him. Whether it were the old feelings that he had held towards her as a teenager, or new feelings entirely, he wasn't sure. But this was Tifa. Tifa, who had always been so caring about others, yet who was also strong because she could kick any men's ass if she wanted to. And she looked adorable, all windswept yet talking animatedly about his bike. He realized now that he was falling for her, and hard too. If he wanted to, he could still protect himself by creating a distance between them, but he didn't really want to. He knew colleagues weren't really allowed to have a relationship, but he wanted to at least become good friends with her. He figured that he wanted someone like Tifa in his life, no matter what, and he figured that she could really use a friend. So when he suddenly realized that she had stopped talking and had turned around to enter the building, he quickly grabbed hold of her arm to stop her.

"Tifa wait," Cloud said and watched her turn around with a surprised look on her face. "What is it?" she asked and he refrained from speaking for a few moments, to try and get his thoughts under control. Without success, he realized, because he had somehow managed to turn into a stuttering fool.

"I… I just thought.." he mumbled, stumbling over his own words in the process. "W-we haven't seen each other in a long time and I figured we could.. catch up or something. So would you like to have dinner with me sometime? At the end of the week maybe?" he asked and dared to look up at her face. The completely stunned expression on her face made him lower his head again to look down at his shoes. After a long silence he glanced up at her face again to see her deep in thought with furrowed brows as if she was contemplating his question.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" she asked and glanced at him with widened brown eyes, the surprise evident in her voice. Cloud thought about this for a moment. Was he? He felt the unfamiliar blush creep up his cheeks at the thought of going on a date with her. He wanted it to be like that, but at the same time he was aware that it really wasn't a good idea to immediately jump into something like that. So he ignored the painful beating in his chest and the hopeful look in Tifa's eyes. "No," he told her. "I'm offering you dinner as a childhood friend." Her face fell for a moment before she regained her composure and offered him a small smile. "I accept."

…

Noctis walked into the briefing room with Lightning by his side and silently took his place at the table. All the others, except for Reno, were already present and seated, glancing at each other with grim anticipation. Angeal broke the silence by clearing his throat.

"First things first. As probably all of you already now, somebody has made a point to contact Zack, and that person threatened his fiancée and him to not meddle with the case. It's highly likely that the caller is the person we're looking for, or it might be helper. Since we don't know for sure who did it, we can't rule out either possibility yet. Reno and Rude are currently stationed outside Zack's apartment as a safety precaution but I want to stress to all of you to be careful. We have a slight idea of what we're dealing with, but we don't know what our criminal is capable of. It seems he likes to misuse personal information to get his way. So watch your back and be careful who you tell what to," he spoke as he looked at everyone. Noctis resisted the urge to sigh. It wasn't like he had much that they could use against him anyway. Only his father, who was a good for nothing guy that he highly disliked and the young blonde that sprang to mind, whom he had taken on a few dates. Noctis glanced up at Snow when he spoke up.

"We've tried to trace the origin of the phone call to Zack, sir. It was from a public call box on the main square, so that doesn't help much. We've also questioned miss Gainsborough, but all she could tell us that it was a low male voice, sounding like he was about Zack's age. Unless the voice was distorted, it's safe to assume that we're doing with a man, aged between 20 and 30 years old."

Angeal nodded his assent then turned to Cloud and Tifa. "What about you two then? Find out anything useful?"

Cloud raised his shoulders slightly. "We're not really sure. We met up with Lucrecia Crescent, who is Professor Hojo's assistant. She was acting suspicious, but since we're not sure yet who the victim is, we can't be sure if she's got anything to do with it," he said.

Noctis glanced up at Lightning, who nodded briefly at him and he realized now was the time to speak up. "We do know who the victim is, sir," he said as he looked at Angeal, pausing a moment to get everybody's attention. "Professor Grimoire called to say that the DNA results were there so Lightning and I paid him a visit. He has confirmed that the victim is indeed Professor Hojo of Shinra. The victim was stabbed by a long, thin blade, but the cause of death was human combustion. Apparently Mr. Hojo was burned alive with fuel and the used matches that were found next to the body. According to Grimoire, he was only dead for about half an hour when that police officer found it," he explained. He then proceeded to take a deep breath and tell the most important news. "Not all the blood at the crime scene was Hojo's though. The DNA tests have been run multiple times, to make sure, but some of the blood belonged to the perpetrator. Apparently Hojo managed to throw a good punch. Maybe he gave him a bloody nose. Either way, there was a match for the blood. It's Sephiroth's," he concluded and proceeded to look at Angeal to see his reaction, but Noctis' attention was drawn to the raven-haired woman on Angeal's left side. Tifa was staring at him with widened eyes and he could see various emotions flash through them. A moment later she lowered her eyes to regain her composure, but Noctis has already seen it. He realized right then and there that she would have a hard time if she continued to stay on the case because she personally involved. Another thing that he recognized right that moment when she had stared at him was that there was no doubt she was Stella's cousin. The striking familiarity in not only the shape of their faces, but specifically in the determined look he had come to appreciate in Stella, but that Tifa also had. Noctis quickly shook his head to ban away those thoughts. If anything, he shouldn't be thinking about Stella Fleuret right now, because thinking of her only lead to him feeling guilty because he had seen or spoken to her ever since this case had started, basically giving her the cold shoulder. He would deal with that once this case was solved, but for now he needed to concentrate and avoid all thoughts of the blonde woman. He was interrupted from his thoughts when Cloud spoke up.

"Tifa and I went to visit Lucrecia Crescent. She is Professor Hojo's assistant. Or was. Either way, we didn't find out much but one thing we do know for sure is that she was behaving really suspicious, and she does not have an alibi. She might be assisting Sephiroth."

Everybody waited in silence for Angeal's orders. The black haired men stood up slowly and regarded them all. "Zack and Snow are in charge of finding out what weapon Sephiroth used. Cloud, go ask a warrant to arrest Miss Crescent as a main suspect. You and Tifa will be interrogating the lady. Lightning and Noctis, I'm putting you in charge of tracing Sephiroth. Go back to the crime scene and try to figure out from there where he might have gone and if there are any traces you can follow. You're all dismissed for now, it's already late. Go get a good night's rest, I expect you all to be on the job bright and early in the morning," he spoke and walked out the room.

…

The first thing that Noctis was greeted with when he stepped outside, was the cold and he noticed how little flakes of snow whirled down from the sky. The second thing he noticed was the shivering blond woman whose face lit up when she noticed him.

"Stella, what are you doing here?" Noctis asked, failing to keep the surprise from showing in his tone of voice. He quickly walked towards her and eyed the plastic bag in her hands with a questioning look. He didn't really understand. She should be mad at him for not returning her calls, or making any effort at all, yet here she was, standing here with a huge smile on her face. "Hey stranger. I heard from my cousin that your team just started a new case, so I'm just going to go ahead and assume that's the reason you've been absent. I just figured you could use some distraction. Turns out I was right," Stella said as she observed him. He could see her smile falter slightly as she took in his face and he knew why. Fatigue and stress were all he could think off at the moment and it must show in his eyes. He was about to interrupt Stella and tell her that he didn't feel like going out, that he simply wanted to rest, but she had already continued talking before he could even open his mouth.

"I know what you must think, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said with a softer tone. "So if you'll let me, I'd like to make some dinner for you. I promise I'll leave right after that, but I just want to… help you out?" she concluded and Noctis saw for the first time since they had met that she was unsure of herself. He wanted to tell her off for meddling with his business, for assuming that he could not take care of himself, but he didn't. Because in all honesty, he knew that she was right. His initial plan had been to pick up some Chinese takeout then crash on bed at home, probably not even eating half of it because it tasted bad. Besides that, he also knew that he was lucky. She wasn't screaming at him for ignoring her phone calls, nor did she actually scold him for not eating or sleeping properly. She just wanted to be nice to him, and probably spend more time with him too. He had no idea why she seemed so taken to him because they were exact opposites. He was an individual that kept to himself and who tried to hide his shyness by acting tough, while she was a spontaneous woman who wanted to please others. But somehow it worked, and Noctis figured that it was because she was the exact opposite of him that he liked her so much. And now that she had come all the way out here only to offer making him dinner, making such an effort, he did not have the heart to decline.

"So what's for dinner then?" he asked. The smile that lit up Stella's face made him smile too. She linked her arm through his and explained about a new recipe she had found while they made their way through the snow covered street towards his house.

* * *

**Feedback is appreciated! :)**


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